In recent years, the accessibility of wine has increased tremendously. A consumer may now purchase wine not only at bars, restaurants and wine stores, but also at many supermarkets, warehouse stores, drug stores and convenience stores. In addition, consumers with Internet access may now purchase wine from numerous online wine merchants and wineries. In particular, the Internet has enabled many small wineries to reach a potential market that might otherwise be unavailable to the vintner.
Although wine is now widely available, many people find the process of evaluating and selecting wine to be very intimidating. Indeed, the sheer variety and number of available wines often can seem overwhelming. To aid the wine selection process, some consumers rely on objective factors to categorize wine. For example, wine may be classified based on grape variety or variety blend (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, etc.), growing region or appellation (e.g., Napa Valley, Bordeaux, etc.), vintage (e.g., 1999, 2000, etc.) or brand (e.g., Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon, Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.). Although these categories provide a way to describe wine, the categories are not reliable predictors of wine flavor, and provide little guidance for comparing flavor differences between wines. As such, a consumer can only guess the wine flavor based on these categories.
To overcome the static nature of such classification systems, several wine experts and wine magazines have developed systems for categorizing wine based on other criteria. For example, some wine critics, such as Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer, have developed ratings scales to classify wine. The ratings scales typically use a 100-point scale to rate wine quality, with 50 being the lowest and 100 being the highest assigned scores. Each wine is assigned a score or a score range (e.g., 90–100) on the scale based on any of a variety of factors, such as color, appearance, aroma, bouquet and finish. Although such ratings are effective at communicating information regarding overall wine quality, the ratings are of little help in categorizing wine in terms of flavor.
To overcome this limitation, wine scores are sometimes accompanied by written descriptions of a wine's flavor. For example, Wine Advocate, issue 156, page 19 describes one rated wine as “a seriously-endowed smoky effort revealing hints of bacon fat, black raspberries, espresso and vanillin from new oak casks. Dense and full-bodied, with great purity, terrific texture, elevated alcohol (not excessive), and moderate tannin in the long finish . . . . ” Although such summaries include lush descriptions that may evoke vivid sensations, the reviews lack any clear or consistent technique for defining or comparing wine flavors. Indeed, it may be difficult for a consumer to compare one wine described as a “seriously endowed smoky effort” with another wine having “a tight, firm beam of mineral, pear and green apple fruit.”
In an attempt to add some consistency to the process of characterizing wine, some wine experts have proposed a uniform vocabulary used to describe wine flavor. For example, Dr. Ann C. Noble, of the University of California at Davis, developed a “wine aroma wheel” that includes specific terms used to describe wine flavors. The wine aroma wheel includes three concentric circular wheels. The innermost wheel is subdivided into 12 pie-shaped slices that describe generic wine flavors/aromas (e.g., “floral,” “spicy,” “fruity,” “nutty”). The middle wheel is subdivided into 27 associated pie-shaped slices that further define the wine flavors/aromas of the innermost wheel (e.g., “fruity” is further subdivided into “citrus,” “berry,” “(tree) fruit,” “(tropical) fruit,” “(dried) fruit” and “other”). Finally, the outer wheel is subdivided into 87 associated pie-shaped slices that more specifically define the wine flavors/aromas of the middle wheel (e.g., “berry” is further defined as “black berry,” “raspberry” and “strawberry” and “black currant/cassis”).
To describe the flavors or aromas of a particular wine, a taster first selects one or more of the generic descriptors from the inner wheel, and then further refines the description by successively selecting associated descriptors from the other two wheels. Thus, a particular wine may be described as “skunk/sweaty/green beans/melon,” “dusty/rubbery/burnt match/strawberry jam/violet/soy sauce,” or any other combination of the specific descriptors of the outer wheel. Although the aroma wheel provides a consistent vocabulary for describing wine flavor, it fails to provide a simple, intuitive system for easily comparing and evaluating wine flavor. Indeed, for many consumers, it may be a bit unwieldy to compare three chardonnays, the first having a “lemon/grapefruit/apple/orange blossom” flavor profile, the second having a “hazelnut/oak/apricot/banana” flavor profile, and the third having a “lemon/pear/butterscotch/vanilla” flavor profile.
To simplify the wine classification process, some systems characterize wine in terms of a relatively small number of flavor categories. For example, Best Cellars, Inc. classifies wine in one of eight “style categories” that include “fizzy,” “fresh,” “soft,” “luscious,” “juicy,” “smooth,” “big” and “sweet.” Although such categories may be used to provide very high-level classification of wines, many wines may not easily fit into any of the eight predefined categories. For example, “juicy” wines are defined as “Light-bodied red wines. Fruity, upfront, instantly drinkable,” whereas “smooth” wines are defined as “Medium-bodied red wines. Velvety, graceful, deliciously refined.” A typical Loire Valley Cabernet Franc is a light-bodied red wine, but is often not particularly fruity. A good Oregon Pinot Noir has strong, upfront fruity flavors, but also is medium-bodied and velvety. Thus, neither wine seemingly would easily fit into any of the broad categories used in the Best Cellars system.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus for classifying wine in a way that is simple and easy to understand.
It further would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus for classifying wine in a way that may be used to communicate relative wine flavor.
It also would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus for classifying wine in a way that may be used to compare flavor differences between wines.
It additionally would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus for consistently and systematically classifying wine.
It also would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus for classifying wine in an all-inclusive manner.